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A PRELIMINARY COMPARISON OF MUSCLE STRENGTHENING EXERCISE AND TREADMILL WALKING TO BREAK UP PROLONGED SITTING

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Most Americans spend approximately half of their awake time (~8h/day) engaged in sedentary behavior, and predominantly in the form of sitting. The association of sedentary behavior with CVD has been graded moderate to strong by national and international public health agencies, yet we have scant understanding regarding effective strategies to mitigate the adverse cardiovascular repercussions of sedentary behavior. A recent study demonstrated that five minutes of treadmill walking every 30 minutes throughout the day attenuates increases in blood pressure (BP) observed with prolonged sitting. However, such a strategy may be challenging given environmental or equipment availability in the workplace. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of the aforementioned treadmill walking protocol to a time- and frequency-matched routine of bodyweight-based muscle strengthening exercises on BP responses and measures of fatigue, mood, and cognitive performance during prolonged sitting. METHODS: We recruited five young adults (n=2M/3F, 24.2±3.4 years, 25.1±5.1kg/m2) for a randomized and counter-balanced, crossover design trial consisting of three, four-hour experimental testing sessions (Control, treadmill walking [Walk], and muscle strengthening exercises [Strength]). We measured BP and subjective fatigue every 60 min, and surveyed mood and cognitive performance before and after each trial. RESULTS: Mean systolic (control: 121±8mmHg, Walk: 120±7mmHg, Strength: 120±9mmHg) and diastolic BPs (control: 70±7mmHg, Walk: 68±7mmHg, Strength: 69±6mmHg) were similar among trials (ps≥0.680), and no effects of time or interactions were observed (ps≥0.391). Subjective fatigue differed among trials (p<0.001); fatigue was reduced in Walk (12.6±7.1; ps≤0.015) compared to Control (27.9±15.9) and Strength (22.6±9.6), but no differences between Control and Strength (p=0.279), or effects of time or interactions were observed (ps≥0.298). No effects of visit, time, or interactions were observed for mood or cognitive performance (ps≥0.113). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that compared with bodyweight-based muscle strengthening exercise, treadmill walking may more effectively attenuate fatigue during prolonged sitting. A larger sample is needed prior to drawing any meaningful inferences regarding comparison of Walk vs. Strength for lowering BP.

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